At the beginning of this year’s Convocation ceremony for graduate-level students at the School of Information Studies (iSchool), Senior Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Practice Barbara Stripling spoke about this being a time for the graduates to begin new dreams.
With that preface, a number of students promptly illustrated how they already had begun making a mark in life as they were honored with special recognitions for their academic achievements while at the iSchool. Accordingly, this year’s master’s-degree, doctoral, and leadership prizes and awards were presented to the following 2018 graduates.
Doctoral Prizes
Recognizing outstanding academic contributions, the doctoral prize was awarded to iSchool Ph.D. graduate Jerry Robinson, and D.P.S. graduate Norma Palomino.
Master’s Degree Prizes
Four awards were made to students demonstrating academic excellence in class and in their project work, in each of the master’s curriculums. Recipients were: Jesse Hall (M.S. in Information Management); Mohammed Saad Mannan Waheed (M.S. in Enterprise Data Systems); Huyn Seung Lee, M.S. in Library and Information Science; and Heidi Bryson (M.S. in Library and Information Science-School Media Specialization).
Graduate Leadership
Recognizing a student for exceptional scholarship, service, and commitment to the school, this honor is the most prestigious award given to a graduating master’s-degree student. It was presented to Mariel Rosario, an M.S. in Information Management graduate. Rosario delievered a short speech recalling her time at the iSchool, and her aspirations for the future of her graduating class.
Angela DeSilva Award
The Angela DeSilva Award recognizes an LIS-School Media graduate who has overcome obstacles and persists to achieve a graduate degree, sharing the determination and resilience of the award’s namesake. The award went to Rebecca Leathersich.
Lemke Book Award
Named for Professor Emerita Antje Lemke, the award recognizes an outstanding student in the master of library and information science degree program who exhibits a passion for learning and a dedication to service. The award was presented to Kayla Del Biondo.
Weitzel Award for Information Systems
Established in memory of former faculty member John Weitzel, the award is presented to students who exhibit excellence in information systems through coursework or research projects. The honor this year went to Suchitra Deekshitula.